Heucherella plant named &#39;HEUPIRE030&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Heucherella plant named ‘HEUPIRE030’, characterized by its upright and uniformly mounded plant habit; vigorous growth habit; green and greyed green-colored leaves; early and freely flowering habit; red purple-colored flowers held above the foliar plane on dark brown-colored peduncles; resistance to Powdery Mildew; and good garden performance and winter hardiness.

Botanical designation: x Heucherella.

Cultivar denomination: ‘HEUPIRE030’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct Heucherella plant,botanically known as x Heucherella and hereinafter referred to by thename ‘HEUPIRE030’.

The new Heucherella is a product of a planned breeding program conductedby the Inventor in Zuidwolde, The Netherlands. The objective of thebreeding program is to create new long-flowering Heucherella plants thatare winter hardy.

The new Heucherella plant originated from a cross-pollination conductedby the Inventor in Zuidwolde, The Netherlands of a proprietary selectionof Heuchera sanguine identified as code number 083-0063, not patented,as the female, or seed, parent with Tiarella hybrid ‘Pink Skyrocket’,disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,382 as the male, or pollen, parent.The new Heucherella plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor asa single flowering plant within the progeny of the statedcross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Zuidwolde,The Netherlands in May, 2015.

Asexual reproduction of the new Heucherella plant by in vitro meristemculture in a controlled greenhouse environment in Zuidwolde, TheNetherlands since September, 2016 has shown that the unique features ofthis new Heucherella plant are stable and reproduced true to type insuccessive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new Heucherella plant has not been observed under all possiblecombinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. Thephenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditionssuch as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variancein genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘HEUPIRE030’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘HEUPIRE030’ as a new and distinct Heucherellaplant:

1. Upright and uniformly mounded plant habit.

2. Vigorous growth habit.

3. Green and greyed green-colored leaves.

4. Early and freely flowering habit.

5. Red purple-colored flowers held above the foliar plane on darkbrown-colored peduncles.

6. Resistance to Powdery Mildew.

7. Good garden performance and winter hardiness.

Plants of the new Heucherella differ primarily from plants of the femaleparent selection in flower color as plants of the female parentselection have red-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Heucherella differ primarily from plants of the maleparent, ‘Pink Skyrocket’, in flower color as plants of ‘Pink Skyrocket’have pink and white-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Heucherella can be compared to plants of x Heucherella‘Dayglow Pink’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,164. In side-by-sidecomparisons, plants of the new Heucherella differ primarily from plantsof ‘Dayglow Pink’ in flower size and color as plants of ‘Dayglow Pink’have smaller mauve pink-colored flowers. In addition, plants of the newHeucherella and ‘Dayglow Pink’ differ in leaf appearance as leaves ofplants of the new Heucherella have a more distinct pattern than leavesof ‘Dayglow Pink’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Heucherella plant showing the colors as true as it isreasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color valuescited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describethe colors of the new Heucherella plant.

The photograph on the first sheet is a side perspective view of atypical plant of ‘HEUPIRE030’ grown in a container.

The photographs at the top of the second sheet are close-up views oftypical inflorescences of ‘HEUPIRE030’.

The photograph at the bottom of the second sheet is a close-up view oftypical leaves of ‘HEUPIRE030’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations, measurementsand values describe plants grown during the spring in 1.5-litercontainers in an outdoor nursery in Zuidwolde, The Netherlands and undercultural practices typical of commercial Heucherella production. Duringthe production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 15° C. to 32°C. and night temperatures ranged from 6° C. to 20° C. Plants were oneyear old when the photographs and the description were taken. In thefollowing description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 2015 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: x Heucherella ‘HEUPIRE030’.-   Parentage:    -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Heuchera sanguine identified as            code number 083-0063, not patented.        -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Tiarella hybrid ‘Pink Skyrocket’,            disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,382.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type.—By in vitro meristem culture.        -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 15 days at            temperatures about 20° C.        -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 20 days at            temperatures about 10° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 60 days            at temperatures about 20° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 70 days            at temperatures about 15° C.        -   Root description.—Medium in thickness, fibrous; typically            creamy white in color, actual color of the roots is            dependent on substrate composition, water quality,            fertilizer type and formulation, substrate temperature and            physiological age of roots.        -   Rooting habit.—Moderately freely branching; medium density.-   Plant description:    -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Herbaceous perennial; basal rosette            plant habit with leaves developing from the base; upright            and uniformly mounded plant habit; overall shape, flatten            globular with inflorescences held above the foliar plane;            vigorous growth habit; moderate growth rate.        -   Plant height, soil level to top of foliar plane.—About 17.5            cm.        -   Plant height, soil level to top of floral plane.—About 57.2            cm.        -   Plant diameter or spread.—About 73 cm.-   Leaf description:    -   -   Arrangement.—Leaves arranged in basal rosettes; simple.        -   Length.—About 10.3 cm.        -   Width.—: About 10.1 cm.        -   Shape.—Broadly ovate; palmately lobed with three to five            lobes per leaf; sinuses shallow to medium in depth and            divergent.        -   Apex.—Broadly and bluntly acute.        -   Base.—Hastate, not imbricate.        -   Margin.—Crenate; undulate.        -   Texture and luster, upper and lower surfaces.—Sparsely            pubescent; matte.        -   Venation pattern.—Palmate.        -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Darker than 143A;            areas surrounding main veins, close to 200A. Developing            leaves, lower surface: Close to 147B. Fully expanded leaves,            upper surface: Close to 137A to 137B; interveinal areas,            close to 191A; areas surrounding main veins, darker than            147A; venation, close to 138A. Fully expanded leaves, lower            surface: Close to between 138B and 147B; venation, close to            144B.        -   Petioles.—Length: About 13.2 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm.            Strength: Low, flexible. Texture and luster, upper and lower            surfaces: Pubescent; glossy. Color, upper surface: Close to            146B and 197A. Color, lower surface: Close to 146B to 146C.-   Flower description:    -   -   Flower type and flowering habit.—Single campanulate flowers            arranged on axillary compound racemes; freely flowering            habit, about 220 flowers per raceme and about 3,000 flowers            develop per plant during the flowering season; flowers face            mostly outwardly.        -   Fragrance.—Faintly fragrant; sweet, acidic.        -   Time of flowering.—Long flowering period, plants begin            flowering in the spring flower continuously until the autumn            in The Netherlands; plants begin flowering about twelve            weeks after planting.        -   Flower longevity.—Individual flowers last about one week on            the plant; flowers not persistent.        -   Inflorescence length.—About 33.9 cm.        -   Inflorescence width.—About 9.7 cm.        -   Flower diameter.—About 9 mm.        -   Flower depth (height).—About 6 mm.        -   Flower buds.—Height: About 4 mm. Diameter: About 2 mm.            Shape: Obovate. Texture and luster: Smooth, glabrous; matte.            Color: Close to 58B.        -   Petals.—Quantity and arrangement: Five petals in a single            whorl. Length: About 4 mm. Width: About 1 mm. Shape:            Oblanceolate. Apex: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture and            luster, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; matte.            Color: When opening, upper surface: Close to 73C to 73D.            When opening, lower surface: Close to 73D. Fully opened,            upper and lower surfaces: Lighter than 73D.        -   Sepals.—Quantity and arrangement: Five sepals, fused.            Length: About 6 mm. Width: About 1.5 mm. Shape: Roughly            oblong. Apex: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture and luster,            upper surface: Smooth, glabrous; matte. Texture and luster,            lower surface: Smooth, glabrous; slightly glossy. Color:            When opening, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 68A. Fully            opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 68B.        -   Peduncles.—Length: About 52.2 cm. Diameter: About 2.5 mm.            Strength: Moderately strong. Aspect, primary peduncles:            About 25° from vertical. Aspect, lateral peduncles: About            45° from vertical. Texture and luster: Densely pubescent;            moderately glossy. Color: Close to between 200A and N200A.        -   Pedicels.—Length: About 4 mm. Diameter: About 0.5 mm.            Strength: Moderately strong. Aspect: About 30° from peduncle            axis. Texture and luster: Moderately to densely pubescent;            moderately glossy. Color: Close to 185B.        -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Stamen number: Ten per            flower. Filament length: About 2 mm. Filament color: Close            to 69D. Anther length: About 0.3 mm. Anther shape: Deltoid.            Anther color: Close to 4C. Amount of pollen: None observed.            Gynoecium: Pistil number: Two per flower. Pistil length:            About 4 mm. Style length: About 3.75 mm. Style color: Close            to N155D; proximally, close to 155A. Stigma diameter: About            0.2 mm. Stigma shape: Club-shaped. Stigma color: Close to            NN155D. Ovary color: Close to 155A.        -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit production has not been            observed on plants of the new Heucherella; flowers are            sterile.-   Pathogen & pest resistance: Plants of the new Heucherella have been    observed to be relatively resistant to Powdery Mildew (Sphaerotheca    macularis). Resistance to pests and other pathogens has not been    observed on plants of the new Heuchera grown under commercial    conditions to date.-   Garden performance: Plants of the new Heucherella have been observed    to have good garden performance and to tolerate high temperatures    about 35° C. and to be suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through    9.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Heucherella plant named‘HEUPIRE030’ as illustrated and described.